Pet Peeve............

by Sunnygal41 6 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Sunnygal41

  Don't know about anyone else, but, this drives me seriously crazy:

  I work for a busy bus company as a reservationist for a senior Dial-A-Ride program. I get many calls a day from people asking if we cover such and such a town. When I tell people that our service is paid for by the funds from one particular town, and is for those residents only, I am then asked if I know if their town has one, and if I have a number for them. Now, I have no problem helping people from time to time, even though I am not the local operator for information, but, after I get two or three of these a day, multiplied by one week, it gets old, and I get pissed. What is it about people that makes them think that it's no big deal to ask someone trying to do their work to get them a number? I'm sorry, but, I don't get paid to look phone numbers up for people. I have my own work to handle, and my reservation line is quite busy, as well as needing to keep in contact with my drivers and enter time cards and schedules for them. I also do other office work for the Manager of the Motor Coach Garage. My day is pretty full. But, I've also experienced the same thing when I worked in my former position and was called lazy when I told the woman I didn't have the time to look the number up. And, then there are the people who think that just because you work for one particular industry, you are connected in some way with every other business in that industry. I wonder sometimes whether it is just sheer laziness on people's part.........just curious what anyone else has to say about this.........

  Terri
• 

  earthtone

  
  Oh my goodness, I was just about to start a post similar to yours!

  I'm a ob/gyne sonographer. So I understand mothers/fathers are really anxious that everything is okay or extremely excited. But why do the expect me to be just as excited as they are! I must scan about 10 to 15 patients a day. And about 6 are ob patients. It's old already. I'm happy for you, but I am not going to exclaim everytime your freaking baby moves. Then the are either two extreme's and hardly any people in between. They are either super anxious and ask you 100 questions that you can't answer cause your not the doctor and get mad cause they think you are trying to keep something from them or they are soooo on top of the world hugging and kissing each other you can't get the damn exam done.

  And let's not forget the people who bring their whole family for the ultrasound. Sometimes I feel like I should pass out popcorn and set up a concession stand or something. And they ask a bunch of questions which are distracting. I'm trying to make sure the baby is normal and they just want to know if it's a boy or girl.

  Don't get me start I could vent for hours over this sh*t. And the stupid question they ask

  1. How do you know what your looking at? I took a 6 week's course, I was trained dumb azz!

  2. Do you have any kids? - extremely personal

  3. Can I get some good pictures of the baby? Like this is freaking fetal photo and the baby's going to pose for them or like I would give them crappy pic's on purpose.

  4. You must love your job, right? Let's forget about all the women who miscarry their pregnancy, have fetal defect's or fetal demise's at 40 weeks, oh yeah it's the best job in the world.
• 

  Confession

  I worked in radio on-air for a number of years, so I have lots of experience with callers. In the first few years I'd get REALLY bugged by some of their questions. Some would call and ask what time it was. Am I the local timekeeper? In Michigan when the auto factories would shut down and open up, we would air these very explicit announcements...

  "Do NOT report to work. Repeat: Do NOT report to work. Once again: Do NOT report to work."

  The flood of calls would come in, usually asking...

  "You said to report to work, right?"

  (Sigh) During bad weather, we'd air school closings every fifteen minutes--and publicize this clearly. But this would not stop the avalanche of phone calls asking if their particular school had closed. After a few years I simply came to understand that this was part of our job. As a radio station we wanted people to listen to us--and although our respective job descriptions may not have identified us as "Information Specialists," the public clearly came to think of us in this way.

  I travel almost constantly, on two to four flights every week throughout the U.S. With weather delays, flight cancellations and gate changes a daily reality, I frequently have to ask questions of TSA, airport and airline employees. They may be categorized into two types: those constantly frustrated by questions, and those who've quite cheerfully come to grips with the fact that the questions would never stop--and so have come to accept them.

  With reference to the work I presently do and the frequent questions I'm asked, I've decided that acceptance is much more conducive to a "calm heart" than the frequent rise and fall of frustration and anger.
• 

  mama1119

  Earthtone...My brother is a sonographer and he says the same exact thing. He says it takes alot of concentration to figure out what he is looking at (he does alot of vascular ultrasounds) and if he is quiet, people get all upset like he is hiding things from them, and even more upset when he says he is just doing the exam, the Dr will have to talk to them about the results. I am sure it is so frustrating.
• 

  earthtone

  Mama, you would not imagine. I just got a patient complaint because, I wouldn't turn the monitor so she could see more. If I had turned it anymore, I wouldn't be able to see it.
• 

  Bstndance

  At work, I cover the phone for the receptionist when she's on vacation. Usually around 12-12:30 I get a flood of calls of people asking to speak with various people at the office. Usually everyone is out to lunch; however, some people get really upset and demand to speak with someone "now!". What part of people going to lunch around noon don't they understand?
• 

  Sunnygal41

  lol...........Earthtone, must have been a particularly frustrating question day for both of us! I can feel you soooo clearly.

  Confession, I wish I was at your point, I truly do.......still not there yet.

  Usually around 12-12:30 I get a flood of calls of people asking to speak with various people at the office. Usually everyone is out to lunch; however, some people get really upset and demand to speak with someone "now!". What part of people going to lunch around noon don't they understand?

  Bstdance, I was a receptionist for quite a few companies, besides temping as one also, so I know how annoying that can be. If they have voicemail, I just usually suggest they leave a message. For the most part, I feel sorry for people who's calls have bounced from the switchboard to me.....so, I try to make an extra effort to locate a live phoneline, but, sometimes, it's just not possible.